There are many natural remedies for depression. For some, a simple change in diet will suffice, for others, visits to a psychiatrist can help them root out deep, emotional problems. A regimen of vitamins and supplements may be prescribed, or fresh air, sunlight and exercise could be your path to health.

The required natural remedies for depression will depend much upon the cause of depression, the depth of depression, and many other factors. The good news is, if you receive help from any one area, it’ll be much easier to find other natural remedies for your depression, and the improvement may make the wait easier to bear.

Natural Remedies For Depression:

These natural remedies for depression are among the most popular, and with good reason. They work. Depending on your level of depression, or other medications that you’re taking, they may not be right for you, but these natural treatments for depression are easily found. Ask your doctor before trying these.

Nature Made SAM-e:

It is believed that SAM-e increases the bio-availability of serotonin and dopamine (serotonin and dopamine are  “feel good” chemicals in your body). It was recommended to my father by his doctor for his chemical depression. It took some time, but gradually, my father’s moods become more and more normal.  These are not “happy pills”, but can balance your moods.

SAM-e is one of the more expensive supplements on the market. Even the cheap brands run close to $40 for a 30 day supply. However, Nature Made allows you to bank points on your purchases, earning coupons and discounts. These coupons can be combined with in store sales, making SAM-e quite affordable. My father saves the coupons until he finds SAM-e available in a 2 for the price of 1 sale, and then stocks up.

SAM-e can be a stimulant, so it’s recommended to take it first thing in the morning, and follow the instructions on the bottle. If you are bi-polar or suffer from anxiety, use only under the supervision of your physician. Side effects of  SAM-e may include digestive complaints, dry mouth, low blood sugar, thirst, increased urination, headaches, hyperactivity, anxiety, and insomnia.

Eleuthero:

Eleuthero is another natural remedy for depression. Eleuthero can help balance out the chemicals that control our moods, such as serotonin and dopamine. It also helps to reduce stress by regulating cortisol and adrenaline.

While eleuthero is something of a “feel good” herb, if you’re diabetic or have a heart condition, it’s an herb that’s best avoided, as it can lower blood sugar and raise blood pressure.

St. John’s Wort:

St John’s Wort is one of the most widely prescribed natural remedies for depression.  It can take 4-6 weeks to fully feel the benefits of taking St John’s Wort, but many people have been able to avoid chemical based depression medication entirely, or wean themselves off of it with the use of St. John’s Wort.

However, St John’s Wort is one of those herbs that can cause severe problems with use. If you’re pregnant or nursing, make certain that you get your doctor’s permission to take St John’s Wort before actually taking it. You should also check with your doctor if you’re taking any other medications at all, as St. John’s Wort is known to interact or nullify many other medications including the contraceptive pill.

In fact, St John’s Wort can cause more problems with people who have a number of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. With the number of interactions and side effects, St John’s Wort should never be taken without your doctor’s permission. However, with your doctor’s permission, it can be an affordable, effective, and natural treatment for depression.

Natural Treatments For Depression:

There are many natural treatments for depression that are available and can be used with or without a doctor’s permission. However, depending on the actual cause of depression, these methods may or may not work.

Exercise:

Exercise has been touted as a natural treatment for depression so often, and for so long, that it’s starting to seem like a cliche. But cliche or not, exercise is able to help depression by releasing endorphins (they make you feel good). Also, if your depression is due to emotional turmoil, it can help you work out any aggression you feel. If your depression is due to a medical condition, in many cases, exercise can help those conditions which in turn can aid your recovery from depression.  And, if nothing else, it’ll give you something else to think about, if only for a few minutes at a time.

Light Therapy:

If your depression is related to seasonal change (for example, seasonal affective disorder- SAD), light therapy is most often prescribed. It’ll be recommended that you take full advantage natural sunlight, preferably by getting out in it, and sitting by open windows when possible. And, using specially designed light boxes in a prescribed manner (it’s said to be most useful when used for the same amount of time at the same time, every day) can be a huge benefit.  You can also replace regular lightbulbs with imitation sunlight bulbs.

Meditation/Journaling:

If your depression is caused by emotional trauma or turmoil, meditation can help you turn your thoughts towards something more positive. Journaling can help you find what that root problem is, or work through a problem that you’re already aware of.

The key to using meditation as therapy is to find something positive and affirming to concentrate on- not simply spacing out for a few minutes.

Nutrition For Depression:

With how few people get adequate nutrition, it’s no wonder that poor nutrition can cause depression. The best way to combat this, of course, is to use nutrition for depression as a treatment.

Magnesium and Potassium:

It’s been found that low magnesium levels can lead to depression, making depression a symptom rather than a disease of its own.  You may want to have your blood magnesium levels tested, however, as having too much magnesium in your system can also cause depression.

Magnesium is essential to proper absorption of potassium, and having low potassium levels can also cause depression. It may be recommended that you take both magnesium supplements and potassium supplements, or simply eat more foods that contain these minerals, such as leafy greens (magnesium) and bananas or potatoes (potassium).

For more information on magnesium, see these articles:

Health Benefits of Magnesium

Food Sources of Magnesium

Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

Iron:

If you’re low on iron, your body is likely to suffer fatigue and depression. You can simply up your iron intake by eating more red meat or taking supplements, or try taking vitamin C with your iron, to help your body to absorb it better. However, you may be suffering from anemia, so if you suspect that your depression is due to low iron, ask your doctor to test you for anemia. There are some supplements that are available by prescription that you can’t get on the store shelves.

B Vitamins and Manganese:

The B vitamins control your nervous system. If you’re too low in B vitamins, you won’t be able to handle stress as well as other people, and it can easily lead to depression.

Manganese helps your body to utilize B vitamins, so make sure that you have enough in your diet or supplements.

When using nutrition to treat depression, you’ll need to make sure that your balance of vitamins, minerals, etc is within healthy limits. Even though all of these things are good for you, too much, or in the wrong proportions can throw your body out of whack, and you could end up worse than you started.

Other Causes Of Depression:

Numerous health conditions can cause depression. Here are a few.

PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome):

Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome is characterized by an imbalance of hormones. It’s a chicken or the egg kind of disease, where being over weight and unhealthy can cause PCOS, but having PCOS can cause you to become over weight and unhealthy.

Some symptoms of PCOS are: hirsutism (body or facial hair where it doesn’t belong- such as on the chin, on the breasts, etc), adult acne, small breasts but large hips, discoloration around the neck, under arms, and inner thighs, as well as insulin resistance, and often an irregular period.

Many sufferers of PCOS are also suffering from depression. Generally, in this case, the depression is caused by an imbalance of hormones. It can be treated with the contraceptive pill, diabetic medication, exercise, and diet.

If you think you may have PCOS, contact a specialist, or a gynocologist that specializes in the disease.

Hypo-Thyroidism:

Hypo-thyroidism is caused by an underactive thyroid. The symptoms of hypo-thyroidism are almost identical to the symptoms of PCOS (see above), and if you think you may have an underactive thyroid, you should contact an endocrinologist.

If you suffer from hypo-thyroidism, you may want to look at this list of foods to avoid if you’re hypo-thyroid.

Trauma:

If you’ve recently lost a loved one or suffered heart break, among other causes (emotional trauma can even be caused by situations such as the economy, threat of war, and events such as 9/11), this is a time to surround yourself with loved ones and talk to a psychiatrist.  You may be prescribed medication, or have natural remedies for depression recommended to you while your emotions heal.

Medications:

There are many, many medications that can cause depression, or strip your body of the nutrients that you need to maintain a healthy body and mind. Not all of them show up on the side effects the drug company prints out. Take the time to research online. Forums are a great place for personal information like this. In many cases, Glucophage and Metformin can cause depression, even suicidal depression, and they’re not the only ones. Look up anything, and everything, that your doctor has prescribed for you if you begin having these symptoms.

What Helped My Depression:

In October of 2008 I was struck by depression and anxiety out of nowhere. In the middle of my work day- boom!

I did some study, because I hadn’t had any emotional trauma, nothing new had occured, and the only changes I’d made was to make my diet healthier.

What I found may not have been the sole cause, but after delving into as much information as I could find, I eventually unearthed information that the medication I was on for my insulin resistance (Metformin, a generic version of the diabetic drug Glucophage) often had the side effect of depression.  I also found that I had most of the symptoms of hypo-thyroidism, and already knew that I had PCOS.

I went to my doctor to get tested for hypo-thyroidism, which turned up negative. But I persisted with more of my theories, and eventually I was allowed to go off of the Metformin. This did not cure my depression, but within one day, my anxiety attacks had stopped completely.

I re-introduced meat into my diet, and began taking b-vitamin supplements on top of a good multi-vitamin. I began going to church again, listening to solid preachers online (such as Joyce Meyers, Gerry Stoltzfoos at FreedomValley.org, and Beth Moore at LProof.org) and reading my Bible daily (think- meditation on something positive?). I also surrounded myself with friends who could support me in the day-to-day, as well as be available during the times that I began to freak out.

Slowly, my life started coming back together.

I dn’t know if this will help anyone else, but please, if the depression seems to be recent and/or struck out of no where, take a look at your medications, recent diet changes, and even life style changes. My doctor didn’t want to do anything but put me on medication, which would have been fine had she bothered to really analyze my situation. Some people and forms of depression can only be helped with these medications. But they’re not all of the answer all of the time.

Legalese: None of this information is intended to diagnose or treat depression, it is for informational use only. Please see your doctor, therapist, and/or specialist if you’re suffering from depression and especially if you’re having suicidal thoughts.

If you found this article on natural remedies for depression to be useful, please check out the rest of my articles on nutrition information.